Walk into any book store and it becomes immediately apparent that there is absolutely no shortage of cookbooks from which to choose from at the present time.

Since Americans are still in a gastronomic dither, fueled by the constant barrage of television chefs and the like, choosing a recipe collection in pages on paper can be daunting. But, armed with an appetite and some basic knowledge of the style of cooking you’re interested in, success is a sure thing. There’s some great stuff out there.

However, good books are not all about food formulas. There are some excellent reads available that focus on food experiences and also books that deal with our food supply and the direction it is and should be going in.

My first suggestion for a meaty read is “The Raw and The Cooked, Adventures of a Roving Gourmand” by Jim Harrison. This book was a gift and I breezed through it like an order of fried clams at the seashore. Evidently, Harrison is a well known author, and for good reason. His gregarious style is completely successful at never using the same words twice from cover to cover to describe his gusto and zest for a good meal.

This book is a collection of short stories, or “novellas” as he calls them, each and every one a tryst divulging a book tour or hunting trip and the meals he has either cooked or ordered whilst engaged. Garlic, copious amounts of the stinking rose, is frequently employed along with jalapenos and red wine, for cooking and the glass, which seasons each story. Within the first few pages, it’s apparent that Harrison is a happy glutton, self confessed, self imposed and self proud. The man simply loves to eat. Wild game is his forte and the pages relate the trips and the meals that surround his excursions in pursuit of natures ingredients.

Suffice it to say that you’ll roar out load at his descriptions, taste in your mind some of his laborious concoctions and maybe even wind up with a tinge of envy for his literary escapades. The wit and wisdom may be a springboard for your own dietary desires. Sanity may spur you on to question the quantities he claims to ingest.

All in all, The Raw and the Cooked is a fun read; alive, well seasoned and completely satiating. It can be devoured in a day, then passed on for someone else to savor.

On a more serious note, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan is a focused and thought provoking analysis of our food supply. With the recent spinach debacle fresh in our minds, this book is a must read for anyone who eats.

Pollan delves into our national food sources, the ins and outs of corporate and governmental involvement and the effect they have on us and future generations. Each page, composed in a very readable yet sophisticated style, manages to throw you back in your chair, questioning the common sense of the topic being discussed.

You read on, wondering how we got to a point where we’ve become so indifferent towards a diminishing group of people who supply us with our sustenance. Those people are our nations farmers, and they’re being manipulated by corporate giants who make more profits with computer screens and telephones than the people who actually produce the food. It’s a tangled web of greed and power versus hard work and basic human need.

The first section of the book examines corn and follows the recent history of the crop and how it eventually wound up effecting the size of a bottle of Coca-Cola. It’s a fascinating account of one aspect of the food chain in the United States and the ramifications on global supply and demand.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma will raise serious questions regarding the state of our sources of food. In some ways it may disgust you. In others, it will only serve to solidify the notion that the subject and it’s dirty little secrets are out of our control. Frankly, it has made me aware of a hidden desire to return to the wilds, away from the fray of civilization, and follow the back-to-the-land ethic lauded by the hippies of the 60’s.

Then, I fall prey to my appetite, check the fridge for sustenance and let it pass.

FEEDS: 6-8

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 4 Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• chicken or beef stock
• 3 T. Dijon mustard
• 1/3 C. diced red onion
• 1/3 C. diced celery
• 1/2 C. mayonnaise
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. fresh chopped parsley or chives
• 3 eggs, hard cooked and chopped

LET'S COOK

Place the diced potatoes in a pot and cover with the beef stock or chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook just until the potatoes are tender.

Drain the stock away, place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the mustard. Allow them to cool on the counter, then add the remaining ingredients, mix well and chill.

MORE IDEAS:

After cooking the potatoes, save the drained stock and freeze it for use later as a soup base. You could use Yukon Gold potatoes, if you’d like.

Use an egg slicer to chop the cooked eggs. Slice them one way, turn them around and slice again for easy chopping.

Garnish the finished salad with diced tomatoes and even slices of pitted black olives.

Aside from the smell and taste of food, it’s the colors in cooking that really excite me. And, butternut squash is one vegetable that has every capacity to stir the appetite and the imagination when it’s presented as an ingredient. It’s buff colored skin, complete with a slightly shiny surface, is at once pleasing and comforting.

Using a French knife, cut open this winter squash and boom, it’s a bright rendition of pure sunlight and in possession of a depth of color any artist would be happy to work with.

This splash of culinary color has a rich history as well. Archaeological discoveries place the butternut squash among Native American Indians as far back as two thousand years ago. It’s obvious that the butternut squash was an ingredient in the diet of the ancients.

A staple on Thanksgiving tables, the butternut squash has been enveloped in blankets of miniature marshmallows, layers of brown sugar and accentuated with coconut and other sweet enhancements.

The easiest way to prepare a butternut squash for the table is to first slice it in half lengthwise. Use a heavy spoon to scoop out the seeds. Next, pour about an inch of hot water into a glass baking dish of appropriate size. Lay the squash halves in the water, cut side down. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for about an hour.

You’ll know the squash is cooked when a knife pierces the flesh unhampered and slides in effortlessly. Remove it from the oven, turn the squash over and allow it to cool.

When you’re able to handle it, scoop the cooked flesh into a mixing bowl and then jazz it up with some brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and maybe a pat of butter. This mixture can be refrigerated and then heated in a saute pan for dinner. Or, pop it into a greased baking dish and bake until heated through.

Acorn squash can be prepared and cooked in the same baking dish as the butternut, cooled and then scooped out and mixed with the butternut squash for an interesting combination.

Due to the smooth texture of cooked butternut squash, it’s really great when used as a soup base. I like to bake the ingredients for a wonderful soup I’ve created called Butternut Blast. It’s a soup loaded with the colors of the sun and flavors of the earths bounty.

FEEDS: 4-5

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. good olive oil
• 5 cloves fresh crushed garlic
• Pinch of dried basil and oregano
• Dash of seasoned salt
• A loaf of great bread, preferably Italian

LET'S COOK

Place all ingredients, except the bread bread, in a small pot. Set it over a low flame and heat just until the butter melts and the garlic foams a bit in the mixture. Set it aside.

Slice the bread, lay it on an oven proof tray and using a brush slather it with the garlic, butter and oil mixture.

When dinner is ready to be served, slide the tray of bread under a preheated broiler and cook just until the surface of each slice is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve right away.

MORE IDEAS:

It’s important not to walk away from the broiler when you do this since it can burn the bread quickly if left unattended.

For even more flavor, dust the slathered slices with grated parmesan cheese before broiling. Or scatter the slices with a touch of grated mozzarella cheese, then broil.

FEEDS: 4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. good ground beef
• 1 t. seasoned salt
• 7 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/4 small head of cabbage, sliced
• 15 oz. can fire roasted, diced tomatoes w/green chilies
• 15 oz. can black beans, partially drained
• 1/2 C. green enchiladas sauce

LET'S COOK

Heat the oil in a saute pan over a medium high burner. Crumble in the ground beef, dust with the seasoned salt and fry it up until the meat is just cooked.

Stir in the garlic and allow to cook for about a minute more. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat mix to a dish and set it aside.

Add the onion and cabbage and saute until it’s el dente. Return the beef mix to the pan, then stir in the tomatoes, beans and enchiladas sauce.

Bring to a gentle boil, lower the flame and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with toasted tortillas.

MORE IDEAS:

For dinner-time variety, serve this Colorado Chili with side dishes of guacamole, your favorite salsa and another of grated Jack cheese.

FEEDS: 2-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 lb. stew beef, cut into pieces the size of the end of your thumb
• 3 T. paprika
• 1 t. seasoned salt
• 3 T. canola oil
• 1 medium onion, large dice
• 2 T. paprika
• 7 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 C. beef broth
• 2-3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced small

LET'S COOK

Toss the stew beef with the 3 tablespoons of paprika and the seasoned salt.

Heat the oil in a heavy gauge pot, add the seasoned beef and cook until the meat is rich in color and begins to release it's own juices.

Toss the onion cuts with 2 tablespoon of paprika and add to the beef. Toss and cook until the onion begins to get limp.

Add the garlic and potato, mix it up, and then pour in the broth. Bring it all to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Serve with a great mixed salad.

MORE IDEAS:

This is great the next day. Warm garlic bread is a natural compliment.

FEEDS: 2 or more

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• banana
• Kahlua liqueur
• vanilla ice cream
• hot fudge sauce or chocolate syrup
• chopped nut meats of your choice
• Maraschino cherries

LET'S COOK

Slice the bananas in small pieces into individual serving bowls. Add a couple tablespoons of the liqueur and mix together to coat the fruit.

Place a sensible size portion of ice cream on the bananas. Drizzle with the hot fudge sauce, scatter with the nut meats and top with the maraschino cherry. Serve right away.

MORE IDEAS:

The bananas become a pleasant flavor surprise under the rest of this sundae. Try Vandermint, Creme De Cocoa, any sort of liqueur that strikes your fancy.

Get creative with the ice cream and try rum raisin or chocolate chip.

Do the same with the nut meats considering the mighty cashew or even macadamias, for an elegant touch.

FEEDS: 4-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 3 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion; small, chopped and sautéed in olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. seasoned salt
• 1/2 t. freshly grated black pepper
• 3 T. parmesan cheese
• 1 C. Cheez-It cracker crumbs
• 1/2 C. Cheez-It cracker crumbs
• ketchup in a squeeze bottle

LET'S COOK

Place the ground beef in a mixing bowl and add the eggs, seasonings, Parmesan cheese and the single cup of cracker crumbs. Mix well and then shape into a loaf.

Place the 1/2-cup of crumbs on a tray and roll the loaf in them to evenly coat the exterior. Place the loaf on a baking dish, squirt a design on top with the ketchup and then bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for about an hour and 15 minutes.

Transfer the meatloaf to a serving platter, slice and serve immediately.

MORE IDEAS:

Make cracker crumbs by placing them in a zip style bag and then crush with a rolling pin. You could use any flavored cracker that strikes your fancy to impart a different flavor in the meatloaf.

The cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the loaf you create.

Cold meatloaf makes an excellent sandwich when sliced and placed between slices of seeded rye bread. Slather one side of the bread with ketchup, the other with mayonnaise.

FEEDS: 4-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 3/4 C. bulgur
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 C. boiling water
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• 1/4 C. lemon juice (juice of 1 medium lemon)
• 1/4 C. red onion, diced
• 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
• 3/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 C. fresh tomatoes, chopped

LET'S COOK

Place the bulgur, salt and boiling water in a mixing bowl. Stir gently and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Add the oil and lemon juice, mix it up and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serve on a bed of greens with some grilled vegetables and chicken or pork.

MORE IDEAS:

Bulgur is a cracked wheat product available in the Natural Foods section of most supermarkets. You may also find it in the cereal section.